Wake Up Wal-Mart is officially kicking off our Holiday campaign. Stay tuned throughout December for new ads, actions in front of stores, our worker highlight stories, and more! It's going to be busy for us. If you'd like to get involved in telling Wal-Mart to treat its employees better, send us an e-mail or give us a call. We'd love to see you at a local action or have help spreading the word online and in person!
Here's our press release:
IMMEDIATE RELEASEWAKEUPWALMART.COM LAUNCHES MONTH-LONG HOLIDAY CAMPAIGN TO HIGHLIGHT WAL-MART’S ANTI AMERICAN AND ANTI-WORKER POLICIES
Two New TV Ads To Start Across the Country Thursday December 4th
During These Tough Times, Wal-Mart Needs To Put America’s Economy Ahead of China’s
Washington, DC - WakeUpWalMart.com and its 435,000 members, today launched a month-long holiday campaign to highlight Wal-Mart’s anti-worker/anti-American policies. The million dollar campaign will run throughout December and include national television advertising, local media and mail and more than 100 actions ranging from holiday drives for Wal-Mart employees to candlelight vigils outside of key Wal-Mart stores.
WakeUpWalMart.com’s campaign to highlight Wal-Mart’s anti worker policies comes on the heels of a tragic fatal accident that took the life of a Wal-Mart employee in New York on Black Friday. The goal of the campaign is to challenge Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer and America’s largest private employer, to do their part to help America’s economy get back on track by doing more for their workers and doing less to help the Chinese economy. Wal-Mart current imports more than 70% of their good from China.
“While Wal-Mart is making record profits ($3.03 billion dollars in the 3rd quarter alone), Wal-Mart workers are struggling to keep their heads above water because of poverty-level wages, unaffordable healthcare, poor treatment, and cuts in hours,” said Meghan Scott, Director of WakeUpWalmart.com. “Our ‘Hope for the Holidays’ campaign is designed to highlight the plight of hundreds of thousands of Wal-Mart employees who are struggling to get by while their employer is shipping millions of dollars overseas this holiday. We will be asking Wal-Mart shoppers to help us send a message to Wal-Mart to put American workers first this holiday season.”
WakeupWalMart.com members will call on Wal-Mart to pay fair wages to its employees, provide affordable healthcare, and do more to ensure the safety of their workers and their products. The campaign will begin with two national ads that will start airing in key markets Thursday December 4th. WakeUpWalMart.Com will announce new activities each week in December.
The two ads “Hidden Costs” and “Thinking of shopping at Wal-Mart” will air in targeted markets across the country and can be viewed at http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/feature/holiday2008/
TV AD SCRIPT: “HIDDEN COSTS”
Have you added up all the hidden
costs behind Wal-Mart’s prices?The one-point-eight billion dollars taxpayers shell out for health care because Wal-Mart doesn’t cover half its employees.
The lost wages of one-point-six-million women who had to take Wal-Mart to court to get paid the same as men.
Countless manufacturing jobs lost while America’s largest corporation became America’s biggest importer of Chinese goods.
Behind Wal-Mart’s profits, the middle-class pays the price.
America can’t afford it any longer.
TV AD SCRIPT: “THINKING OF SHOPPING AT WAL-MART”
If you’re thinking of shopping at Wal-Mart this holiday season,
There’s a 70% chance the gifts you buy come from Communist China.
America’s largest corporation stocks its shelves with products made
In Chinese factories.
While more and more American factories are forced to shut down.
Behind those prices Wal-Mart likes to brag about:
countless American jobs lost overseas.
In this race to the bottom,
Wal-Mart gets ahead, and the middleclass gets left behind.
America can’t afford it any longer.
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Posted by Taylor - December 4, 2008 04:43 PM - Action
FYI, the title of this article (and therefore the link on the homepage) says "Wak Up" instead of Wake Up. No biggie, but it looks silly. Worth fixing, I'd say.
Posted by Sheepish - December 4, 2008 05:47 PM
Wake up! Unions are destroying our economy. Look at the car industry. I went to college for four years and most union members at a factory get paid more than me. We can't compete with foreign companies anymore. Plus, a union worker gets paid more to do less. Hard work is not rewarded because everyone is rewarded, so why would one union worker work harder than the other? It's funny how Walmart does so well while most union controlled companies stuggle...
Maybe we should solve the unemployment rate by hiring all unemployed to carry a picket sign outside of Walmart. I see them everyday on the way home from work.
Posted by Tom - December 4, 2008 11:11 PM
Why not organize an American Mfg only Retail Outlet to sell items. Take away the Wal-mart monopoly. If these owners work together to bring their plants back to America and offer a fair price, they will end the monopoly. While it is true that most manufacturers are not in the business of retail, it is also true that corporations can be formed to increase profit if manufacturers are losing money steadily with Wal-mart. Malls all over America need retail businesses and manufacturing plants are available to restore jobs for local factory workers. Lots of disgruntled employees will be available for the sales floor. Wal-mart will not control and dictate if the suppliers do not give them a monopoly on merchandise. It appears that these mfg plants sold out for a sure thing and now are reaping their benefits. Slow and steady wins the race.
Posted by Melanie - December 5, 2008 12:40 PM
three years ago in San Francisco all of the hotel workers went on strike. Why because the hotels wanted to lower there wages and health care. If they had been non union would they have been able to fight for there wages ? the answer is no because the companies would have just lowered there wages and health care because that's what non union companies can do. If those employees had been non union and had there wages lowered think of how that would have affected the economy.
Posted by sam - December 5, 2008 08:08 PM
Have you noot noticed that everything is made in foreign countries... I would say that it is not fair to nsingle out walmart in that effect.
Also, you have to consider the fact that the items that people want (ie: Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, other electronics) are made in different countries. That's the way it is, and through no fault of Walmart's.
Perhaps the developers of this site and the creators of the commercials shoud consider the facts before they go accusing a corporation for the downfall of an entire counrty.
Posted by ridiculous - December 7, 2008 06:16 PM
This mudslinging campagn is run by union power brokers angry because Walmart won't be under their thumb. Walmart is thriving in spite of their efforts to smear its name. There are tons of products from China in Target and K-Mart. I am going to make a point to patronize Walmart and encourage everyone I know to do so. I am going to let Walmart know I am doing this. This ridiculous campaign will backfire.
Posted by Mrsjpjp - December 10, 2008 05:15 PM
Forbes list of richest Americans for 2008
has the Walton children worth $23.5 billion
each. Immoral. They rank 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th on the list.
Donna
Posted by Donna - December 11, 2008 08:34 AM
WAKE UP!
You say Wal-Mart takes jobs away from "lower/middle class"? How about the fact that without Wal-Mart's prices that they offer, many of these families would not have a Christmas this year.
How about you take a trip down to your local store, I guarantee most of their products were made overseas, but you arn't protesting against them!
Biggot.
Posted by Charlie - December 11, 2008 11:38 AM
Charlie,
Imagine I break into your house and steal all your stuff. On the way out, I have a change of heart. I still steal most of your stuff, but leave your TV and a few changes of clothes. You say you want to prosecute me, and sue me for conversion.
I say, you owe me. Without my generosity, you wouldn't have a TV or clothes to wear. You should be thanking me.
Does that make sense? Should you be thankful for my generosity, or pissed that I stole from you in the first place?
Huge glacial retail stores are the same way, and WalMart is the worst of the bunch. They tear apart the local economy, causing people to lose their jobs. Then, they rehire those same workers for low or minimum wage with little or no benefits.
And you think the people who had, or might have had decent-paying jobs if WalMart hadn't torn apart their town should be thankful for the fact that the thief allows them to buy a cheap TV and some clothes?
Look outside your own house. Think on a macro level. Knock down the biggest bully, and the others will fall in line.
Posted by ThaMothership - December 13, 2008 12:45 AM
Tom - is there a reason that you think that you should earn more than someone who makes cars for a living? I mean, isn't that somewhat elitist? What makes you think that you deserve to earn more based solely on the fact that you had the fortunate luck to go to college?
Posted by Meaghan - December 19, 2008 01:48 PM
Okay so say you get rid of Wal-Mart, them being the biggest employer in America right now where does that leave the millions of employees? Hungry and without a job!!!!!
Posted by walmart employee - December 23, 2008 11:43 PM
On wal-mart receipts there is a survey for your opinion of your shopping visit to get a $1000.00 walmart shopping card. But when you take this survey you are sent to other sites and you have to buy something from some other company. If you don't you can't finish the survey to get this free gift card.
So how can walmart impose this restriction on you to get their gift card???
Posted by Mary - January 2, 2009 07:38 AM